Because most–if not all–intensive English programs (IEP) assign students to specific levels based on a placement test that does not involve any form of explicit vocabulary testing, some degree of variation in lexical knowledge of students within an individual class should not be surprising. However, very little research has ever quantified this variation. The current study fills the gap in this important area of TESOL research by investigating vocabulary variation among intermediate-level students at one IEP. Participants (N=79) were split into two main proficiency groups, high intermediate (N=28) and low intermediate (N=51). The 2K, 3K, and 5K levels from the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) were used as a vocabulary measure. In this study, VLT scores were analyzed by proficiency level and by students' original individual classes (N=7). The results revealed considerable vocabulary variation. In some instances, vocabulary size varied by 900 word families per student. First language influence was also investigated by comparing the largest two language groups in the sample, Arabic (N= 28) and Spanish (N=12). Spanish-speaking students significantly outperformed the Arabic speaking students in all vocabulary measures (except for the 2K level). The study, therefore, raises questions about the approaches used in teaching a class that has both Spanish and Arabic speakers. Implications and suggestions for further studies are discussed.

Il y a de plus en plus d'indications que les trous noirs super-massifs ont joué un rôle important dans l'évolution des galaxies, en particulier au moment de la formation des galaxies les plus massives à haut décalage spectral vers le rouge (z ~ 2 - 3). Nous nous sommes attachés à quantifier les effets sur le milieu interstellaire des galaxies hôtes que peuvent avoir les jets des radio-galaxies, d'une part, et les importantes luminosités bolometriques des quasars, d'autre part. Pour cela, nous avons étudié la cinématique du gaz ionisé dans 12 radio-galaxies modérément puissantes et dans 11 quasars (6 avec une détection en radio et 5 sans jet détectable) à grand décalage spectral vers le rouge avec le spectro-imageur proche infra-rouge SINFONI du VLT, qui nous donnait accès aux raies d'émission normalement sitées dans le domaine visible. Afin d'évaluer la capacité du NAG à stopper la formation d'étoiles, nous avons cherché des traces de leur rétroaction dans ces galaxies, comme de vents de gaz s'échappant de la galaxie hôte. Dans notre échantillon de radio-galaxies modérément puissantes, nous observons des dispersions de vitesse presque aussi importantes que dans les plus puissantes (avec une FWHM ~ 1000 km/s), mais les quantités de gaz ionisé observées y sont inférieures d'un ordre de grandeur (Mion gas ~ 10^8 - 10^9 Msun) et les gradients de vitesse sont plus faibles (Δv < 400 km/s), quand ils sont observés. Dans notre échantillon de quasars, nous devions d'abord soustraire la composante large des raies d'émission avant de pouvoir étudier leur composante étroite, celle susceptible d'être étendue spatialement. Nous détectons des régions d'émission véritablement étendue autour de quatre des six sources avec une détection en radio et autour d'une seule des cinq sans détection radio. Nous estimons qu'il y a moins de gaz ionisé dans ces sources que dans notre échantillon de radio-galaxies (avec Mion gas ~ 10^7 - 10^8 Msun) et la cinématique de ce gaz est aussi plus calme, similaire à ce qui est observé autour de certains quasars proches. Enfin, de nouvelles observations de deux radio-galaxies particulières nous ont révélé que l'une d'entre elles est entourée de quatorze galaxies-companions et qu'elle se trouve donc dans une partie sur-dense de l'Univers. Nous expliquons donc la morphologie inhabituelle du gaz ionisé présent autour de ces deux radio-galaxies par des cycles répétés d'activité du NAG, en analogie à ce qui est observé dans les amas de galaxies proches, qui sont d'excellents exemples de rétroaction du NAG dans l'Univers local. / There is growing evidence that supermassive black holes may play a crucial role for galaxy evolution, in particular during the formation of massive galaxies at high redshift (z ~ 2 - 3). Our work focuses on quantifying the effects of jets of radiogalaxies and of large bolometric luminosities of quasars on the interstellar gas in their host galaxies. To this end, we studied the kinematics of the ionized gas in 12 moderately powerful radio galaxies and 11 quasars (6 radio-loud and 5 radio-quiet) at high redshifts with rest-frame optical imaging spectroscopy obtained at the VLT with SINFONI. We searched for outflows and other signatures of feedback from the supermassive black holes in the centers of these galaxies to evaluate if the AGN may plausibly quench star formation. In our sample of moderately powerful radiogalaxies, we observe velocity dispersions nearly as large as those observed in the most powerful ones (with FWHM ~ 1000 km/s), but the quantity of ionized gas is decreased by one order of magnitude (Mion gas ~ 10^8 - 10^9 Msun) and velocity gradients tend to be less dramatic (Δv < 400 km/s), when they are observed. In our sample of quasars, we had to carefully subtract the broad spectral component of emission lines to have access to its narrow, and spatially extended, component. We detect truly extended emission line regions in 4/6 sources of our radio-loud subsample and in 1/5 source of our radio-quiet subsample. We estimate that masses of ionized gas in these sources are smaller than in our sample of high-redshift radiogalaxies (with Mion gas ~ 10^7 - 10^8 Msun) and kinematics tend to be more quiescent, akin to what is observed in local quasars. Finally, detailed observations of two outliers among our sample of high-redshift radiogalaxies revealed that one of them is closely surrounded by 14 companions galaxies, hence lying in an overdensity. We therefore interpret the presence and morphology of ionized gas around these galaxies as evidence for repeated cycles ouf AGN outbursts, akin to what can be observed in local clusters of galaxies, which are prime examples of AGN feedback in the nearby Universe.

This thesis is studying the current global as well as Czech gambling industry with the focus on internet gambling activities. The work begins with the description of various gambling activities. The focus is taken on the internet gambling activities with description of the specifics and the current European as well as US legal frame. Next part is dedicated to the psychology of gambling together with the pathological gambling addiction. In next part the thesis studies the current situation on the Czech market - history, main official legal providers as well as main grey market providers. Second part of the work is the case study of the launch of the internet lottery games by Fortuna Entertainment Group. This case study is based on a desk research of previous successful best practices in the internet gambling industry from all around the world.

Essa pesquisa tem como foco a tomada de decisão para a escolha de modais de transporte urbano coletivo e analisa os desempenhos operacionais e funcionais dos sistemas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Veículo Leve sobre Trilhos (VLT) e Monotrilho. Um modelo de apoio multicritério à decisão (AMD) em cenários complexos é utilizado na análise e tem como dados de entrada as preferências subjetivas de agentes de decisão (stakeholders) e os desempenhos objetivos e subjetivos dos três modais com relação a um sistema de cinco critérios e 22 subcritérios. Tal sistema cobre os eixos de eficiência energética, custo, viabilidade econômica e financeira, qualidade da viagem e impactos ambientais. Stakeholders selecionados com perfis de operador, vizinho, usuário, fornecedor de equipamentos e serviços e consultor em transportes urbanos atribuem suas preferências, pontuando-as em escala numérica de 1 a 9. Visando a aplicação do modelo na região da cidade de São Paulo, foram coletadas 138 opiniões de preferências através de formulários de avaliação e entrevistas conduzidas nessa região. Cada um dos três modais, após ser configurado para atender aos requisitos operacionais e funcionais do serviço de transporte definido por uma unidade funcional comum, tem os seus desempenhos com relação ao mesmo conjunto de critérios e subcritérios pontuados em uma escala numérica. Um índice global (IG), que define a prioridade de cada alternativa, é obtido pela agregação das preferências e desempenhos com uma função aditiva. O modelo foi aplicado em um estudo de caso que simulou a operação dos três modais no trecho entre as estações Vila Prudente e São Mateus da Linha 15 do Metrô de São Paulo, cujos requisitos definiram a unidade funcional. Dentro dos limites e premissas estabelecidas para o estudo de caso, os índices globais calculados indicaram a preferência pelo modal Monotrilho, seguido, na ordem, pelo VLT e BRT. / This research focuses on decision-making support methods to choice public urban transport modes and analyzes the operational and functional performances of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Monorail systems. A multicriteria decision aided model (MDAM) in complex scenarios is used in the analysis and has as input data the subjective preferences of stakeholders and the objective and subjective performances of the three modalities in relation to a set of five criteria and 22 subcriteria. This system covers the axes of energy efficiency, cost, economic and financial feasibility, travel quality and environmental impacts. Stakeholders selected with profiles of operator, neighbor, user, equipment and service provider and consultant in urban transport assign their preferences, scoring them on a numerical scale from 1 to 9. In order to apply the model in the region of the city of São Paulo, 138 opinions were collected through evaluation forms and interviews conducted in that region. Each of the three modes, once configured to meet the operational and functional requirements of the transport service defined by a common functional unit, has its performances against the same set of criteria and subcriteria scored on a numerical scale. A global index (GI), which defines the priority of each alternative, is obtained by aggregating the preferences and performances according to an additive function. The MDAM model was applied in a case study that has simulated the operation of the three transport modalities in the stretch between the stations Vila Prudente and São Mateus of the Line 15 of the São Paulo Metro, whose general requirements did define the functional unit of the case. Within the limits and assumptions defined for the case study, the calculated global indices indicated the first preference for the Monorail modal, followed, in sequence, by the LRT and BRT.

Essa pesquisa tem como foco a tomada de decisão para a escolha de modais de transporte urbano coletivo e analisa os desempenhos operacionais e funcionais dos sistemas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Veículo Leve sobre Trilhos (VLT) e Monotrilho. Um modelo de apoio multicritério à decisão (AMD) em cenários complexos é utilizado na análise e tem como dados de entrada as preferências subjetivas de agentes de decisão (stakeholders) e os desempenhos objetivos e subjetivos dos três modais com relação a um sistema de cinco critérios e 22 subcritérios. Tal sistema cobre os eixos de eficiência energética, custo, viabilidade econômica e financeira, qualidade da viagem e impactos ambientais. Stakeholders selecionados com perfis de operador, vizinho, usuário, fornecedor de equipamentos e serviços e consultor em transportes urbanos atribuem suas preferências, pontuando-as em escala numérica de 1 a 9. Visando a aplicação do modelo na região da cidade de São Paulo, foram coletadas 138 opiniões de preferências através de formulários de avaliação e entrevistas conduzidas nessa região. Cada um dos três modais, após ser configurado para atender aos requisitos operacionais e funcionais do serviço de transporte definido por uma unidade funcional comum, tem os seus desempenhos com relação ao mesmo conjunto de critérios e subcritérios pontuados em uma escala numérica. Um índice global (IG), que define a prioridade de cada alternativa, é obtido pela agregação das preferências e desempenhos com uma função aditiva. O modelo foi aplicado em um estudo de caso que simulou a operação dos três modais no trecho entre as estações Vila Prudente e São Mateus da Linha 15 do Metrô de São Paulo, cujos requisitos definiram a unidade funcional. Dentro dos limites e premissas estabelecidas para o estudo de caso, os índices globais calculados indicaram a preferência pelo modal Monotrilho, seguido, na ordem, pelo VLT e BRT. / This research focuses on decision-making support methods to choice public urban transport modes and analyzes the operational and functional performances of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Monorail systems. A multicriteria decision aided model (MDAM) in complex scenarios is used in the analysis and has as input data the subjective preferences of stakeholders and the objective and subjective performances of the three modalities in relation to a set of five criteria and 22 subcriteria. This system covers the axes of energy efficiency, cost, economic and financial feasibility, travel quality and environmental impacts. Stakeholders selected with profiles of operator, neighbor, user, equipment and service provider and consultant in urban transport assign their preferences, scoring them on a numerical scale from 1 to 9. In order to apply the model in the region of the city of São Paulo, 138 opinions were collected through evaluation forms and interviews conducted in that region. Each of the three modes, once configured to meet the operational and functional requirements of the transport service defined by a common functional unit, has its performances against the same set of criteria and subcriteria scored on a numerical scale. A global index (GI), which defines the priority of each alternative, is obtained by aggregating the preferences and performances according to an additive function. The MDAM model was applied in a case study that has simulated the operation of the three transport modalities in the stretch between the stations Vila Prudente and São Mateus of the Line 15 of the São Paulo Metro, whose general requirements did define the functional unit of the case. Within the limits and assumptions defined for the case study, the calculated global indices indicated the first preference for the Monorail modal, followed, in sequence, by the LRT and BRT.

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This qualitative study examines how emergency people are framed in Swedish evening-, and local newspapers during the forest fire in Västmanland, Sweden 2014. The study also includes if there is any difference between the framing due to the location of the newspaper. The study is based on qualitative text analysis. The theoretical basis is representation, framing theory, media image, media logic and a few conceptions from crisis communication theory. An overall result is that critique of emergency people never are answered. An other is that critique often is directed to people who haven’t been able to affect the critique situations.

Les binaires X de grande masse (HMXBs pour High-Mass X-ray Binaries en anglais), constituées d'un objet compact (étoile à neutrons ou trou noir) orbitant autour d'une étoile massive, ont un intérêt fondamental dans l'étude des processus d'accrétion/éjection autour d'un objet compact. Par ailleurs, des études observationnelles récentes prouvent qu'une majorité d'étoiles massives vivent en couple et connaissent des transferts de matière au cours de leur vie. De ce fait, comprendre l'évolution des HMXBs ainsi que leur interaction avec l'environnement proche permet de mieux cerner l'évolution des couples stellaires les plus massifs, possibles progéniteurs de sursauts gamma et émetteurs d'ondes gravitationnelles lors de leur coalescence. Plus largement, la connaissance de l'évolution des étoiles binaires massives en interaction est cruciale pour caractériser correctement les galaxies lointaines. Comment ces sources évoluent-elles ? Où sont-elles situées dans la Galaxie ? Quelles sont leurs propriétés principales ? Quelle est l'influence de leur environnement proche ? Quel est leur impact sur le milieu interstellaire? Cette thèse vise à apporter des éléments de réponse à ces questions, en adoptant deux approches complémentaires : d'une part une étude statistique de la population Galactique de binaires X de grande masse et d'autre part une étude multi-longueurs d'onde de sources prises individuellement.

There is growing evidence that supermassive black holes may play a crucial role for galaxy evolution, in particular during the formation of massive galaxies at high redshift (z ~ 2 - 3). Our work focuses on quantifying the effects of jets of radiogalaxies and of large bolometric luminosities of quasars on the interstellar gas in their host galaxies. To this end, we studied the kinematics of the ionized gas in 12 moderately powerful radio galaxies and 11 quasars (6 radio-loud and 5 radio-quiet) at high redshifts with rest-frame optical imaging spectroscopy obtained at the VLT with SINFONI. We searched for outflows and other signatures of feedback from the supermassive black holes in the centers of these galaxies to evaluate if the AGN may plausibly quench star formation. In our sample of moderately powerful radiogalaxies, we observe velocity dispersions nearly as large as those observed in the most powerful ones (with FWHM ~ 1000 km/s), but the quantity of ionized gas is decreased by one order of magnitude (Mion gas ~ 10^8 - 10^9 Msun) and velocity gradients tend to be less dramatic (Δv < 400 km/s), when they are observed. In our sample of quasars, we had to carefully subtract the broad spectral component of emission lines to have access to its narrow, and spatially extended, component. We detect truly extended emission line regions in 4/6 sources of our radio-loud subsample and in 1/5 source of our radio-quiet subsample. We estimate that masses of ionized gas in these sources are smaller than in our sample of high-redshift radiogalaxies (with Mion gas ~ 10^7 - 10^8 Msun) and kinematics tend to be more quiescent, akin to what is observed in local quasars. Finally, detailed observations of two outliers among our sample of high-redshift radiogalaxies revealed that one of them is closely surrounded by 14 companions galaxies, hence lying in an overdensity. We therefore interpret the presence and morphology of ionized gas around these galaxies as evidence for repeated cycles ouf AGN outbursts, akin to what can be observed in local clusters of galaxies, which are prime examples of AGN feedback in the nearby Universe.